Thanks @3 for putting it so succinctly. Love you Dan, but why you gotta make generalizations about all bisexuals? Don't see how it's relevant to the discussion at hand, which is about insecure double-standard-holding dick boyfriend.

I think this gets at a really good point. The argument of "more guns makes us safer" rests on the idea that every one of us at any given moment should be able to use deadly force if necessary to protect our safety. Um, no. That is why we have police. Society is built so that we do not all individually have to defend ourselves against threats to our lives. I like that society. Let's make that work more efficiently please.

@60, in the same way that it's not compassion to let a murderer go free because he suffers in jail (or at least, it's only compassion within a very limited view). I think it makes sense to regret that someone's choices led them to suffer, but to eliminate that kind of suffering-as-consequence messes with karma. Just my thoughts as someone with a lifelong casual interest in Buddhism. I don't claim to understand anything perfectly.

I phrased the "learning" part poorly; I was referring specifically to election night, and reality not conforming to the Romneys' expectations. They learned that most of the country does not agree with them, as they had thought. Hopefully they will continue to think about that, and might eventually come to see that it's not that we're all lazy welfare queens, that there are legitimate reasons that more than half the country didn't support them. I'm not saying we should hold our breath for this, but it's a nice idea that it might happen someday that their suffering will be productive.

Compassion doesn't always mean holding someone's hand. When a person makes bad decisions and gets taught some hard lessons, the compassionate thing to do is to let them suffer, and hope they learn from their suffering to live better going forward.

Mitt and Ann, who were so sure they were destined to win, are learning about the country (outside the insulated rich bubble) they live in. I hope they do learn, and go on to put their money and influence to good use.